{"title":"Caffeine, chocolate, and adenosine antagonism in Parkinson’s disease","authors":"H. Reichmann","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.24","url":null,"abstract":"Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. It is generally accepted that dopamine replacement therapy substantially improves motor symptoms; however, there is a worldwide tendency to include nutrients in treatment strategies. In the present review, caffeine and chocolate are discussed. Caffeine use seems to postpone the occurrence of PD in men, and perhaps also in women who do not take postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy. There are contradictory data concerning possible caffeine-induced improvements in PD symptoms. Given that the basic action of caffeine is the antagonism of adenosine receptors, adenosine antagonists may be a new option for treating PD patients. Furthermore, PD patients tend to have increased chocolate consumption; this may be causally related to ingredients such as phenylethylamine. Thus, nutrients such as caffeine and chocolate may play an important role in postponing and/or improving symptoms in PD.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85438290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tao Wei, Zheng Guo, Zhibin Wang, Xingang Li, Yulu Zheng, Haifeng Hou, Yi Tang
{"title":"Exploring the causal relationship between dietary macronutrients and neurodegenerative diseases: a bi-directional two-sample Mendelian randomization study","authors":"Tao Wei, Zheng Guo, Zhibin Wang, Xingang Li, Yulu Zheng, Haifeng Hou, Yi Tang","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.12","url":null,"abstract":"Aim: The associations between dietary macronutrient intake and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) have been widely reported; however, the causal effect remains unclear. The current study aimed to estimate the causal relationship between dietary macronutrient intake (i.e., carbohydrate, fat, and protein) and NDDs [e.g., Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)]. Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to evaluate the causal relationship between dietary macronutrient intake and NDDs. We used the single-nucleotide polymorphisms strongly associated (P < 5 × 10-8) with the exposures from the genome-wide association studies as instrumental variables. Inverse-variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median, and the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier were used to verify the MR assumptions. Results: Genetically predicted higher carbohydrate intake was associated with an increased risk of ALS [odds ratio (OR), 2.741, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.419-5.293, P = 0.003). Vulnerability to PD was negatively associated with the relative intake of fat (OR, 0.976, 95%CI: 0.959-0.994, P = 0.012) and protein (OR, 0.987, 95%CI: 0.975-1.000, P = 0.042). The study also identified the causal influence of AD on dietary carbohydrate intake (OR, 1.022, 95%CI: 1.011-1.034, P = 0.001). Conclusion: We found solid evidence supporting the idea that a higher carbohydrate proportion causally increases ALS risk. Genetically predicted higher AD risk is causally associated with increased dietary carbohydrate intake. Vulnerability to PD may have a causal relationship with a decrease in the dietary intake of protein and fat.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78802649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Influence of sleep disruption on protein accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases","authors":"Xiying Wang, Rui Wang, Jiada Li","doi":"10.20517/and.2021.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2021.10","url":null,"abstract":"Abnormal accumulation of disease proteins in the central nervous system is a neuropathological feature in neurodegenerative disorders. Recently, a growing body of evidence has supported a role of disruption of the sleep-wake cycle in disease development, pathological changes and abnormal protein accumulation in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Sleep deprivation promotes abnormal accumulation of disease proteins. Interestingly, amyloid-β (Aβ) has daily oscillations in human cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and is cleared more in sleep. Both circadian genes and circadian hormones are associated with disease protein deposition. Recently, the glymphatic pathway and meningeal lymphatics have been shown to play a critical role in Aβ clearance, which is mediated by the aquaporin (AQP-4) water channel on astrocytes. The rate of the clearance of Aβ by the glymphatic pathway is different during the sleep/wake cycle. Most importantly, circadian rhythms facilitate glymphatic clearance of solutes and Aβ in the CSF and interstitial fluid in an AQP-4-dependent manner, which further provides evidence for the involvement of circadian rhythms in disease protein clearance.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"321 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77566082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ferroptotic cells augment T-cell activation and neuroinflammation","authors":"Ying Xue, F. Lu, Weimin Wang","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.17","url":null,"abstract":"Since ferroptosis, a form of cell death characterized by aberrant lipid peroxidation, was proposed 10 years ago, its interaction with the immune system has been revealed gradually. On the one hand, immune cell-secreted cytokines are able to increase or suppress ferroptosis sensitivities of other cell types, such as tumor cells and fibroblasts. On the other hand, ferroptotic cell-released factors have the capacity to modulate the functions of neighboring immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T cells. Identifying these immunomodulatory molecules generated during ferroptosis paves the way for developing novel immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"138 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81398791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modeling neurodegenerative diseases using non-human primates: advances and challenges","authors":"Bang Li, Dansha He, Xiao-Jiang Li, Xiangrong Guo","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.14","url":null,"abstract":"Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are pathologically characterized by progressive loss of selective populations of neurons in the affected brain regions and clinically manifested by cognitive, motor, and psychological dysfunctions. Since aging is the major risk factor for NDs and the elderly population is expected to expand considerably in the coming decades, the prevalence of NDs will significantly increase, leading to a greater medical burden to society and affected families. Despite extensive research on NDs, no effective therapy is available for NDs, largely due to a lack of complete understanding of the pathogenesis of NDs. Although research on small animal and rodent models has provided tremendous knowledge of molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, few translational successes have been reported in clinical trials. In particular, most genetically modified rodent models are unable to recapitulate striking and overt neurodegeneration seen in the patient brains. Non-human primates (NHPs) are the most relevant laboratory animals to humans, and recent studies using NHP neurodegeneration models have uncovered important pathological features of NDs. Here, we review the unique features of NHPs for modeling NDs and new insights into AD, PD, and ALS gained from animal models, highlight the contribution of gene editing techniques to establishing NHP models, and discuss the challenges of investigating NHP models.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85065569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of evidence implicating the plasminogen activator system in blood-brain barrier dysfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease.","authors":"Mei-Yun Tang, Fredric A Gorin, Pamela J Lein","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.05","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.05","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Elucidating the pathogenic mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to identify therapeutic targets has been the focus of many decades of research. While deposition of extracellular amyloid-beta plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau have historically been the two characteristic hallmarks of AD pathology, therapeutic strategies targeting these proteinopathies have not been successful in the clinics. Neuroinflammation has been gaining more attention as a therapeutic target because increasing evidence implicates neuroinflammation as a key factor in the early onset of AD disease progression. The peripheral immune response has emerged as an important contributor to the chronic neuroinflammation associated with AD pathophysiology. In this context, the plasminogen activator system (PAS), also referred to as the vasculature's fibrinolytic system, is emerging as a potential factor in AD pathogenesis. Evolving evidence suggests that the PAS plays a role in linking chronic peripheral inflammatory conditions to neuroinflammation in the brain. While the PAS is better known for its peripheral functions, components of the PAS are expressed in the brain and have been demonstrated to alter neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeation. Here, we review plasmin-dependent and -independent mechanisms by which the PAS modulates the BBB in AD pathogenesis and discuss therapeutic implications of these observations.</p>","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"2 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8830591/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39778068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lin-Heng Zhang, Hong‐Yi Yang, Jing Wu, Yun Wu, Luwan Wang, Haiyang Tong, Jin Zhang, Wenchao Wang, Rongyao Huang, Jiang-Lei Xu, Jing Su, Xun-Ran Luo, Yong Yin, Shi-Hao Wu, Xinyong Hu
{"title":"Chronic intracerebroventricular administration is a reliable method in brain studies on monkeys","authors":"Lin-Heng Zhang, Hong‐Yi Yang, Jing Wu, Yun Wu, Luwan Wang, Haiyang Tong, Jin Zhang, Wenchao Wang, Rongyao Huang, Jiang-Lei Xu, Jing Su, Xun-Ran Luo, Yong Yin, Shi-Hao Wu, Xinyong Hu","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.02","url":null,"abstract":"Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration through cannulas is a direct way to deliver large molecules and substances that are blocked by the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS). It is widely used in brain studies on monkeys. However, this method is invasive, as it requires guide cannulas to be implanted into the brain. Whether the long-term implantation of the cannula and the administration of molecule-delivering vehicles, usually saline, can affect the brain by inducing chronic CNS inflammation or even worse brain atrophy, remains an issue to be solved. To answer this question, we investigated inflammatory markers and brain structures on three vehicle-control monkeys who received cannula implantation and one-year ICV saline administration in another study. During the experiment, the monkeys’ cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected periodically, and the level of three classic inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The monkeys’ brain structures were imaged in vivo periodically by 9.4 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, which can provide the best-resolution magnetic resonance images of living monkeys, and the volume of the hippocampus was measured to evaluate the brain atrophy. The data reveal that, during the administrating period, the long-term levels of the inflammatory markers in the CSF and the volumes of the hippocampus did not change significantly compared with the baseline. These results suggest that the long-term ICV administration of saline through cannulas did not induce chronic neuroinflammation or brain atrophy in these rhesus monkeys, suggesting chronic ICV administration via implanted cannulas is a reliable method in monkey brain research.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"90 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80462148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
U. Habiba, J. Morley, M. Krockenberger, B. Summers, M. Tayebi
{"title":"A sequential deposition of amyloid beta oligomers, plaques and phosphorylated tau occurs throughout life in the canine retina","authors":"U. Habiba, J. Morley, M. Krockenberger, B. Summers, M. Tayebi","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.06","url":null,"abstract":"Aims: Cerebral amyloid burdens may be found in otherwise cognitively intact adults, often not showing worsening deficits with passing years. Alzheimer’s transgenic rodents have been widely used to investigate this phenomenon, but a spontaneous disorder in other animals, such as dogs that cohabit with humans and thus may have some shared environmental risks, may contribute and offer opportunities not possible in the smaller laboratory animals. In animals, the spontaneous disorder most comparable to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects mature to aged dogs and is designated canine cognitive dysfunction. Motivated by AD, many studies have revealed that amyloid progressively accumulates in the canine central nervous system, including the retina. Here, we investigated whether deposits of amyloid and/or tau can be found in the canine retina of neurologically normal animals from the first year of life to the elderly. Suppose canine ocular amyloid and tau are present from early life. In that case, that raises the question of whether similar patterns of accumulation occur in man, whether as part of aging, AD, or other. Methods: This study used eye tissues from 30 dogs with a variety of ophthalmic or other orbital disorders, of which 7/30 were 1-2 years old. Tissues were subdivided into dogs of three different age groups: young (1-5 years old), middle (6-10 years old), and old (≥ 11 years old). Results: Following immunostaining of tissue sections with nanobodies against retinal Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 oligomers, and antibodies against Aβ plaques (Aβp) and hyperphosphorylated Tau (p-Tau), our investigations revealed that accumulation of Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 oligomers were widespread in the retina in all age groups. In contrast, Aβp were detected in the middle and old age groups but not in the young age group. Furthermore, p-Tau staining was observed in four old dogs only, while other dogs were p-Tau free. Interestingly, both Aβo and Aβp co-localized in the middle and old age groups of dogs. Moreover, diffuse granular p-Tau co-localized with intracellular Aβo in the old age group. Finally, we also observed co-localization of Aβo and Aβp in the retinal vasculature which might be similar to cerebral amyloid angiopathy associated with AD. Conclusion: As far as we know, the presence of amyloid and tau in the canine retina is hitherto unreported. If similar, early-in-life subclinical retinal deposits occur in a human cohort perhaps identified by AD genetic risk factors, following this group may offer the prospect of preclinical therapeutic intervention in imminent dementia, a strategy recognized as likely necessary to impact this burgeoning disorder.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73910685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent developments in understanding brain aging: sex differences, mechanisms, and implications in diseases","authors":"Jing Yang, Jing Qu, Huan Ma","doi":"10.20517/and.2022.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2022.03","url":null,"abstract":"Exemplified by the disproportionate cases of Alzheimer’s disease among women, many diseases show considerable sexual disparity in the aging process. Given that such a sex bias varies significantly in different neurological conditions, considering sex differences is necessary for the diagnosis as well as the treatment of neurological disorders. However, currently, relatively few studies have specifically focused on sex differences in brain aging or the general aging process, which has prevented the development of precision medicine for these sex-different diseases. Here, we summarize age-related disparities relating to cognitive function and dysfunction for males and females from human cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. By discussing potential anatomical and physiological bases underlying such differences, we highlight the importance of sex for aging studies in this review, which may hopefully shed light on understanding the precise causes of different brain diseases.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"141 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77454034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A novel neuroprotective cholinesterase-monoamine oxidase inhibitor for treatment of dementia and depression in Parkinson’s disease","authors":"Wei Liu, Yuqiang Wang, M. Youdim","doi":"10.20517/and.2021.09","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/and.2021.09","url":null,"abstract":"The current novel therapeutic approach suggests that multi-targeted compounds, with diverse biological activities but a single set of bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, will be significantly more advantageous in the treatment of the complex pathology of Parkinson’s diseases (PD) than traditional therapies. This review introduces a novel cholinesterase (ChE)-monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor, namely MT-031, which was designed by amalgamating the propargyl moiety of the irreversible selective MAO-B inhibitor and neuroprotective/neurorestorative anti-Parkinsonian drug, rasagiline, into the methylamino position of the ChE inhibitor anti-AD drug, rivastigmine. MT-031 possesses neuroprotective, cognition enhancing, anti-depressant, and anti-inflammatory properties both in vitro and in vivo. Altogether, these findings suggest that MT-031 may be a potential treatment for combating PD and associated dementia and depression.","PeriodicalId":93251,"journal":{"name":"Ageing and neurodegenerative diseases","volume":"56 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90782515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}